"Stopping antidepressants before plastic and reconstructive surgery is unlikely to reduce complications--and might increase the risk of postoperative problems related to the patient's underlying depression."

This was reported by Dr. Isabel Teo of Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, and medical student Christopher Tam Song of University of Edinburgh after making a comprehensive literature review of the PubMed and Cochrane databases.

A total of 26 studies which assessed the effects of antidepressants on different plastic surgery risks were included for comparison including: risk of bleeding, risk of breast cancer, risk of breast cancer recurrence, breast enlargement, and other uique complications.

Evidences gathered has not debarred the increase in bleeding risk, breast cancer, or other adverse outcomes, according to the research review found in the issue of the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Journal.

Researchers Dr. Teo and Mr. Song stated that their review did not find consistent evidence of increased complications related to antidepressants. They said that risks associated with the stopping of prescribed antidepressant therapy in "psychologically vulnerable" patients likely outweigh any increase in complications.

According to them, discontinuation of antidepressants before surgery in the absence of a careful evaluation should be avoided. "Discontinuation syndrome" may happen to patients whose use of antidepressants - particularly the widely used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) - is stopped before surgery.

In conclusion, they said that:

This review does not support the cessation of antidepressants in patients before plastic surgery, as the numbers needed to harm are low and the implications of withdrawal may prove to be detrimental to postoperative management.

However, the use of antidepressants for mental disorders may also implicate key patient risk factors for surgical complications, and sufficient exploration into the patient’s indications for the prescription is crucial. Evidence so far does not suggest that antidepressants increase the risk of breast cancer or recurrence in general, but caution should be exercised for those specifically on concurrent tamoxifen and paroxetine treatment.